Stories I was Never Told
by BillyMartinGoodCharlottefan
Summary: Is this good or bad? Johnny thought to himself when he reached New Orleans. Confused? Read to find out what happens.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I came up with this story a while ago, but then I got writer's block, and started writing something else. Now I've decided to finish this story.**

**I started writing it before hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and if anyone lived in New Orleans, I'm sorry. I lived there several years ago, and I have friends there, so I've heard a lot of stories about it first hand. I don't mean any disrespect by writing this.**

**Now that that's said, here's the story. Thanks to my friend Meredith for helping me come up with the summary.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton.**

**Chapter One**

**Johnny Cade was home alone. None of his friends were home. Two-Bit was hung-over, Dally was in the cooler, Steve, Soda, and Darry were all working, and Pony was at the library. Pony had said that Johnny could go to the library with him, but Johnny had said no. He was almost illiterate, and the sight of all those books made him dizzy.**

**Now he was wishing that he'd gone with Pony. He was lonely, and didn't have anything to do. His parents weren't home, but he knew that he should leave; they could show up at any moment and beat him up.**

**That was the thing that really bugged Johnny; his parents always beat him up. Even worse, there was nothing he could do about it. He usually lived at the Curtis's, but sometimes he had to go home. The times of his being at home were few and far between, but they were all too frequent for Johnny.**

**He was about to go to the Curtis's to see if Pony was back, but before he could leave, his father walked in. It was obvious that he was drunk. He turned to Johnny and stared at him angrily. **

"**You," his dad growled. "What are you doing here?"**

"**I…" Johnny stammered. He was frozen with fear.**

"**You're never home!" His dad yelled, "We give you food and a roof over your head, and what do you give us in return? Nothing!"**

"**You haven't given me shit," Johnny said. Then he realized that he'd just made his dad madder.**

"**What did you say to me?" Johnny's dad said angrily.**

**Johnny knew his dad was going to hit him; there was nothing he could do to fight back. His dad was a lot bigger than he was, and his dad wasn't scared of getting beaten up. Johnny braced himself; the least he could do was be prepared for the blows.**

**The smack from the belt still took him by surprise. Johnny jumped back and yelped in pain. His dad continued beating him mercilessly with the belt. Johnny was only a few feet from the door, if he could just make it out…**

**Johnny was almost out of the yard when his dad tackled him. Johnny heard the sickening crack as his arm broke, and he felt the searing pain that seemed to be not just in his arm, but in his whole body. His dad was still beating him with the belt.**

"**Help!" Johnny yelled, "Somebody help!" He didn't care that yelling for help made him sound like a wimp; he just wanted his dad to stop hitting him. **

**Then Johnny saw the police car out of the corner of his eye. He thought that the cops would just make it worse, that they would probably just help his father beat him up. I was a known fact that all cops hated Greasers.**

**He would never have guessed what happened next.**

**The police car pulled in front of his house; sirens wailing. Two officers got out of the car, a guy and a girl. The guy put the handcuffs on his dad, and the girl sat down next to Johnny. Johnny was sobbing shamelessly. **

"**Are you alright?" She asked.**

**Johnny shook his head.**

**The officer put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" She could tell that Johnny was sort of in shock from getting beaten up, but she couldn't see any other injuries.**

"**I think he broke my arm," Johnny sobbed. Why couldn't he act tough in front of the cops like Dally and Two-Bit?**

**The police officer looked at Johnny's arm. She saw then that the right arm was badly broken. Why hadn't she noticed that before?**

"**It's OK," she said. "We'll get that arm fixed. Then you'll have to come down to the station and answer some questions. OK?"**

**Johnny nodded and the cop walked toward the car, probably to radio for an ambulance or something. By then, most of the neighborhood was either in front of his house watching what was going on, or looking out of their windows. Johnny looked for someone he knew and he finally saw Soda running toward him.**

"**Johnny," Soda said as he sat down next to him. "What happened?"**

"**Dad was beating me up," Johnny said, "He broke my arm. The cops came and took him away, I have to go answer some questions; they're going to put me in a boys home." Johnny started crying again.**

"**How do you know?" Soda asked. "You're sixteen. You can take care of yourself."**

**Soda's attempt at comforting Johnny didn't work very well. He kept crying until the ambulance came, and he didn't stop until they were halfway to the hospital.**

**The girl police officer, whose name was Officer Paxton, had rode in the ambulance with him. She told Johnny what he would be questioned about, so he wouldn't be nervous he guessed. He knew that he would be nervous no matter what the police officer told him. He was terrified of cops.**

**Getting the cast on took forever. Once it was on, it itched like crazy, and it was heavy. Johnny's arm hurt, but then again, so did the rest of his body. That was probably the worst beating his father had ever given him. He shivered; just thinking about the beating scared him, and he didn't want to think about what would happen to him when he got home. His parents would probably kill him. At least if he was dead, he wouldn't have to suffer through the beatings.**

**The door opened and Officer Paxton walked in.**

"**Your cast is probably dry by now," she said. "We can go."**

**Johnny and Officer Paxton left the hospital and got into the cop car. Johnny hoped that someone would see him, it would make him look tough.**

"**Just remember what I told you," Officer Paxton said. "Answer the questions as directly as you can, and don't be nervous. That'll make them think you're lying."**

**Johnny nodded. "What'll happen to me? I won't have to live with my parents will I?" he asked.**

"**No, you won't have to live with them," Officer Paxton said. "But I don't know what will happen to you. How old are you?"**

"**Sixteen," Johnny said.**

"**Tell the truth," Officer Paxton said. **

"**I really am sixteen," Johnny said. It was hard to tell that he was sixteen, he looked a lot younger.**

**Officer Paxton nodded. Johnny noticed that they were pulling into the police station. He was scared. He wished that he could be tough like Dally and Two-Bit, but right then he couldn't have been tough to save his life. He was led into a room with a sign on the door that said: interrogation. There was a desk with a chair on either side of it, and a cop was sitting on one side of the desk. Johnny walked in and sat down in the vacant chair. The Police Officer that had led him to the interrogation room closed the door as soon as Johnny waked in.**

**The cop at the desk looked up "Jonathan Cade?"**

**Johnny gulped, "Yes…sir."**

**The cop smiled, "Don't worry kid, you ain't in trouble."**

"**I'm not?" Johnny asked. Wasn't the reason he was here?**

"**No, heck no! It's your parents that are in trouble," The Police officer said.**

"**They…they are?" Johnny said. He was confused, if his parents were in trouble, why was he here?**

"**Well, we think so. I need you to answer some questions to help us figure that out." The cop said.**

**Johnny nodded; he was more confused than ever.**

**The cop smiled again, "It'll all make sense in a few minutes. I'm Officer Schultz by the way."**

**For the next half hour, Officer Schultz asked Johnny different questions. How long had the beatings been happening? Did they hurt him in any other way? Had any bones been broken before? What did they use to hit him with? Officer Schultz would grimace and shake his head at some of the answers. He had seen cases like Johnny before, but they always shocked him.After the questioning was over, Officer Schultz looked up from his notes and said: "Let me tell you something about yourself that you don't know. Your parents illegally came across the border when you were about three months old. We didn't even know you were here until today. Your parents probably never told you about that."**

"**No," Johnny said quietly. "They never did." How many other things had they kept from him?**

"**There's something else," Officer Schultz said. "You have an aunt that's been looking for you since you were born. She lives in New Orleans and she's your mom's sister. We thought that you were somewhere in Mexico all this time, so the police have been looking there. It's obvious that you aren't going to be living with your parents any longer, and your aunt wants you to come live with her. We told her you would. Is that OK?"**

**Johnny didn't know what to say. What _could _he say? He hadn't known any of the stuff that Officer Schultz had told him. Johnny didn't want to leave his friends, but he guessed it was either New Orleans or a boy's home.**

"**Yeah," Johnny said. "That's fine."**

"**Great," Officer Schultz said. "You're flight is at nine tonight. That gives you about three hours to get packed."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Johnny left the Police Station in shock. Officer Schultz had offered to drive him home, but Johnny had said no. It was only a few blocks to his house. Officer Paxton was going to pick him up at 7:00; she was going to take him to the airport and make sure he got on the plane. His aunt was going to meet him in New Orleans.**

**Johnny found himself standing in front of the Curtis's house. He knew he had to tell everyone goodbye, but he didn't know how they'd take it. Especially Pony, he'd already lost his parents. How would he deal with losing him? Johnny took a deep breath and opened the door.**

**The whole gang, minus Dally, was in the living room. They looked up at Johnny as he walked in.**

"**Are you OK?" Pony asked. "Soda told us what happened."**

"**Yeah, I'm fine," Johnny said.**

"**Are you sure?" Soda asked.**

**Johnny sighed, "I have something to tell you guys."**

"**What?" Two-Bit asked.**

**Johnny sighed again. "My parents were arrested. I didn't know where I'd live since they're in jail. It turns out that I have an aunt that lives in New Orleans, and she wants me to come live with her."**

"**New Orleans," Two-Bit said. "That's a long way away."**

"**I know," Johnny said.**

"**When are you leaving?" Pony asked. He sounded nervous. He'd already lost his parents, he couldn't lose Johnny too.**

"**My flight's at nine," Johnny said.**

"**Tonight?" Two-Bit asked.**

**Johnny nodded. He looked at Pony, his eyes had filled up with tears and he was slowly shaking his head.**

"**No," Pony said softly, "you can't go."**

"**I'm sorry," Johnny said.**

**There was a long silence, broken only by Ponyboy's sobs. Johnny felt awful. Pony had been through a lot, he didn't deserve to lose another person. But then, didn't Johnny deserve a better life? Finally, Soda broke the silence.**

"**So…do you need to pack or something? We could help you."**

**Johnny nodded and everyone in the room stood up. That is, everyone except Ponyboy.**

"**Pony, are you coming?" Soda asked. He was obviously worried about Pony.**

**Pony shook his head and walked off toward his room.**

"**He'll come soon," Soda said. "Let's go."**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Pony sat on his bed. He couldn't stop crying. Everyone had left; they were helping Johnny pack. Ponyboy knew he should have gone with them; he only had a few hours until Johnny left. It wasn't fair; he'd already lost his parents. Why did he have to lose Johnny too? Ponyboy took several deep breaths and stopped crying. He got off the bed and walked out of the house. He needed to say goodbye to Johnny.**

**Packing took longer than Johnny thought it would. He didn't have that much stuff; it was more fitting everything into the tiny suitcase his mom had than anything. Then there was the argument about whether he should take his knife or not. Most everyone said that he should take it, but then Darry said that the security guards would probably get mad at him. Johnny had had enough of cops for one day, so he gave his knife to Pony. Ponyboy needed a knife the most, and Johnny thought that maybe he could remember him by it. Pony seemed grateful for the knife, but it also seemed like he was trying not to cry.**

"**You're sure you have everything?" Two-Bit asked. He, Steve, and Soda were all sitting on Johnny's suitcase, trying to get it to close.**

"**Yeah," Johnny said. But he really didn't have everything. He wanted to bring his friends with him.**

**The suitcase finally closed, and Steve, Soda, and Two-Bit stood up. It was 6:45; Officer Paxton would be there soon. Johnny heard someone crying; he turned around. Ponyboy had his head buried in his hands and Soda had his arm around him.**

"**It's not fair," Pony sobbed. "I've already lost my parents, you can't leave too."**

"**I'm sorry," Johnny said. He didn't know what else to say.**

**There was a long awkward silence. Then Two-Bit asked, "You'll write to us or something, won't you?"**

"**Sure," Johnny said. He wasn't very good at writing, but he'd do it for his friends.**

**Johnny heard a car outside. He looked up and saw the Police car outside his house. Officer Paxton was early. Johnny turned around and took one last look at his house. He couldn't really call it his, he was hardly ever there, and he didn't exactly have fond memories of the place. He couldn't help but wonder about what would happen to it, though.**

**Everyone was either crying or close to tears when Johnny got into the Police car. Pony was bawling like a baby. Johnny got out of the Police car and gave Ponyboy a hug.**

"**Bye," Johnny said quietly. "I'll write, I promise."**

**Pony didn't try to stop Johnny as he got back into the Police car, and he didn't run after the car once it started moving. But he wanted to. Johnny was really going to New Orleans, and there was nothing they could do about it. Pony felt a hand on his shoulder.**

"**Come on, Pony," Soda said. "Let's go home."**

**Ponyboy shook his head. Their house wouldn't be the same without Johnny. Everyone had started walking in the direction of the Curtis', but Ponyboy hadn't moved. Soda turned around.**

"**Are you coming?" He asked.**

**Pony shook his head and started running in the opposite direction; away from everyone else. Soda was yelling for him to come back, but he didn't turn around. Pony kept running. He didn't know where he was going, but he did know that he wanted to be alone; at least for a little while.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Author's note: From now on, the story is told in two different places, New Orleans and Tulsa. It will say where the chapter is at the beginning. Thank you for the reviews, and I hope you like the chapter!**

**Tulsa **

**It didn't take Johnny long to decide he hated airports.**

**Even though Officer Paxton was with him, Johnny had to go through security. Then there was the huge line he had to stand in to get his suitcase checked, and the baggage check. Then he and Officer Paxton had to walk down what felt like miles of hallways; they got lost three times before they finally found the terminal. Johnny flopped down into one of the chairs; he was exhausted.**

"**Don't get too comfortable," Officer Paxton said. "Your flight leaves in five minutes."**

"**Five minutes?" Johnny asked. That wasn't very long.**

**Officer Paxton nodded. Johnny was about to ask her if smoking was allowed on the plane, but he decided against it. Wasn't smoking illegal for someone his age? He didn't know and he didn't care, but he wanted a cigarette. No, he didn't just want a cigarette, he _needed _a cigarette. Johnny realized to his horror that he had forgotten to pack cigarettes. Maybe he could get one from someone on the plane.**

"**Flight 586 now boarding," a voice on an intercom said. "If you are seated in rows A-E, please begin finding your seats."**

**Johnny looked at his ticket; he was in row H, so he didn't have to get up just yet. He looked at officer Paxton, she looked bored. She probably had better things to do than take some hood to an airport. She'd probably had enough of him.**

"**Rows F-H now boarding," the intercom voice said.**

**Johnny stood up. This was it. He was really going to New Orleans; leaving his friends behind. Johnny suddenly remembered Ponyboy's tear-stained face; he had been so upset. "No, you can't go," Pony had said.**

**But Johnny knew he had to go.**

**Officer Paxton managed a smile. It was obviously fake. Johnny thought that she'd liked him a lot more before she saw his friends. **

"**Good luck," Officer Paxton said as Johnny walked toward the airplane entrance. **

**Johnny didn't even bother to turn around. He wondered if Officer Paxton really hoped that everything would work out for him in New Orleans. She probably didn't; it wasn't her problem. New Orleans…it was so far away from Tulsa.**

**Too far away.**

**Johnny wound up not sitting next to a window. Thank God. He'd been so shaken up because of the beating from his dad, packing, and saying goodbye to his friends that he'd forgotten one little thing.**

**He was terrified of heights.**

**The plane hadn't even left the ground yet, and he was already scared. He had looked out of one of the windows, and it looked like he was two stories up already. Johnny realized he was shaking. _Shaking _for crying out loud. Why couldn't he be tough? Maybe he'd feel better once he got a cigarette. He started looking for someone he could get a cigarette from.**

**There was a woman in a business suit sitting next to him; that wasn't any good, Johnny knew she wouldn't have any cigarettes. Across the aisle from him was a mom with two little kids; she wouldn't have any cigarettes either. He didn't want to turn around and look at the people behind him; that would make him look strange. He couldn't see the people in front of him either.**

**A voice came on some kind of speaker.**

"**Welcome to Delta airlines flight 586 to New Orleans," it said. "If you are not on the correct plane, please get off now."**

**After a few minutes, the stewardesses appeared in the aisles and started talking about what to do in case of emergency. Johnny realized he was breathing harder, and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears.**

**The engines roared and the plane took off. Even though Johnny wasn't sitting next to a window, he could still see what was going on outside. The ground was getting smaller and smaller. The plane dipped and then rose back up a few times. What if they crashed?**

**Everything on the ground was so tiny. Johnny couldn't stand looking out the window any more. He leaned his head back against the seat. His stomach was churning. He couldn't get sick; not here, not now. Not in front of all of these strangers.**

**Johnny wished Two-Bit or Soda was there. Heck, he wished all his friends were there. They would have been able to make him feel better; less nervous. Johnny closed his eyes, he could at least try to sleep. It had been a long day and he was tired, but every time he closed his eyes he saw Pony's tear-stained face. "No, you can't go." Pony's words echoed in Johnny's head. Why did he feel so guilty? He deserved a better life, didn't he? Johnny still couldn't stop thinking about Pony, and about his other friends.**

"**Why don't you just leave me alone?" Johnny thought. Then Johnny realized that he had said it out loud. Everyone was staring at him. Johnny felt himself blushing.**

"**Sorry," he muttered. No one had heard him; it was really loud on the plane.**

**Once everyone had stopped staring at him, Johnny closed his eyes again. This time, he wasn't haunted by the images of his friends. Maybe he'd be able to sleep.**

**When Johnny woke up, he was in New Orleans.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**New Orleans**

**_Is this good or bad_ Johnny thought as he got off the plane. He looked around. It was official, he was in New Orleans. In a way it was good because he would never have to see his parents again, but in a way it was bad, because he'd never get to see his friends again.**

**Johnny took a folded piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. He unfolded it and read the name on it: Ana Sullivan; his aunt. Johnny started looking for someone that looked like her name would be Ana Sullivan. He didn't have to look for long. There was a woman standing in the middle of the terminal with a sign that said Johnny Cade in huge green letters. Johnny started walking toward her.**

"**Hi," Johnny said once he got to the woman. "Are you Ana Sullivan?"**

"**Yes," she said. "I am."**

"**I guess I'm your nephew," Johnny said.**

**Ana dropped the sign and hugged Johnny. She hugged him a bit too tight, he was having trouble breathing. After a minute or two Ana let go of Johnny and looked at him. She made a face.**

"**You're so skinny," she said. "And your arm. What happened to your arm? I bet that no good bum that your no good mom married broke it didn't he? He and your mom were a great couple, they were both good for nothing."**

"**Um…I guess so," Johnny said. He didn't know what to say.**

"**We'll, we'd better go to baggage claim and get your stuff. I'll tell you more about your no good parents later."**

"**This is it," Johnny said as he nodded to his small carry on suitcase.**

"**That's _all_?" Ana asked. "We'll have to take you shopping. Oh, and a bit of advice, you won't need that jacket. Not in the summer anyway, and it's summer now so…"**

"**I like my jacket," Johnny said softly. He was getting the idea that his aunt was crazy.**

"**Alright, you'll need it in the airport anyway, it's freezing in here," Ana said. "We'd better be getting home, it's late."**

**Johnny nodded. Ana started walking, and Johnny followed her through the endless hallways. Even though it was almost midnight, there were still a lot of people in the airport. For the second time that night Johnny wished he had a cigarette. He was nervous; cigarettes always calmed his nerves.**

**After what seemed like an eternity of walking around the airport and the parking garage Johnny and Ana were finally heading home. Ana was talking about New Orleans and Johnny was trying to listen, but Ana was talking fast, and Johnny had no idea what she was talking about.**

"**New Orleans is divided into different districts; they're kind of like neighborhoods," Ana said, "There's the Garden District, the French Quarter, Lakeview, Bayou St. John, and the list goes on and on. Anyway, we live in the Garden District; there are a lot of very nice, very big houses there."**

"**It's a nice neighborhood?" Johnny asked. He couldn't imagine living anywhere else but the East side of Tulsa.**

"**Oh yes, a very nice neighborhood," Ana said. "It's very expensive too. I guess you didn't live in a nice neighborhood in…Oh, where was it?"**

"**Tulsa," Johnny said quietly. "In Oklahoma. And we lived in an awful neighborhood."**

"**I'm sorry," Ana said. "I guess you lived in a small house then?"**

"**Most of the time I lived in the vacant lot," Johnny said.**

"**The _vacant lot_?" Ana asked. She sounded surprised.**

"**Yeah," Johnny said. "When I wasn't there I was living at friend's houses. The police didn't tell you that?"**

"**No," Ana said. "All they said was that they found you, and that they would put you on the next plane here."**

**There was a long pause, and then Ana said "Our house will be a big upgrade from the vacant lot. You'll have your own room. It's pretty boring now; just white walls and a bed, but we can decorate it if you want."**

**Ana stopped the car at a traffic light. She looked at Johnny.**

"**What happened?" she asked. "Your arm is broken, and you have bruises all over your face. And a scar, that scar is awful."**

**Johnny was quiet for a while, then he quietly said. "Dad would beat me up. That's what the bruises and the broken arm are from. Then there were these kids, the Socs, that liked to jump kids like me. They called us the Greasers because we grease our hair. They're the ones that gave me the scar."**

**The light changed and the car started moving again. Ana was shaking her head.**

"**I always liked to think that maybe you were in a decent home, even though your mom and dad were awful people. It wasn't decent though, was it?"**

**Johnny shook his head. "Far from it," he said.**

"**You must be tired," Ana said after an awkward silence. "We'll be home soon."**

**During the rest of the drive home Ana told Johnny about Marti Gras. It sounded like something Two-Bit would like. From what Johnny understood it was a big party with parades where you could easily get beer and get drunk. The people on the parade floats would throw beads at you, and a lot of people would dress up in costumes.**

**Ana also told Johnny about her family. She was married to a man named Neil, and they had a son named America. **

"**America has a lot of friends," Ana said, "You can hang out with them; I'm sure they won't mind."**

"**Sounds great," Johnny said, even though it didn't. He was hoping that Ana didn't have any kids so he could just hide out in his room all the time. It sounded like he would be forced to hang out with America and his friends though.**

**Eventually Ana drove the car into the driveway of a really nice house. As soon as Ana and Johnny got out of the car, a boy that looked about Johnny's age walked out of the house. He was wearing boxers and a white T-shirt. **

"**Hey," they guy said. He nodded to Johnny, "You're Johnny?"**

"**Yeah," Johnny said.**

**The boy nodded. "Cool. I'm America, you're cousin I guess. Word of advice, you don't want to wear jeans and a jacket here during summer. You'll fry."**

"**I know," Johnny said. "Your mom told me."**

**America nodded. "I'm hanging out with some friends tomorrow. We're leaving kind of early but do you want to come?"**

"**Sure," Johnny said.**

"**Cool," America said. He reminded Johnny of one of the surfer guys in beach movies. He had a deep voice, and he seemed like he didn't care about anything. He looked like Johnny, but he had green eyes, and his skin was darker. America also didn't have any bruises.**

"**What happened to your arm?" America asked as they walked into the house.**

"**Broke it," Johnny said.**

**America snorted. "I shouldn't have asked," he muttered.**

**America led Johnny up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a hallway with several closed doors. America nodded to one of them.**

"**That's my room," he said. Then he nodded to the one next door to it. "That's your room."**

**Johnny opened the door. The room was boring, just like Ana had said. The walls were white, and the carpet was a sort of off-white. There was a desk under one of the room's two big windows. There was an oak dresser next to the closet. A bed was in the far corner of the room, and there was a bedside table with a lamp and a clock on it. **

"**Kind of dull, I know," America said. "Mom and I didn't know what you liked or anything. We've had this room set aside for you since ever since I can remember. When I was little there was all this little kid stuff in it and this is what it looks like now."**

**Johnny nodded. He wasn't really sure of what he should say. It was strange that Ana and America had been waiting for Johnny to show up for all of his life, and he'd never heard of them.**

"**We thought you were in Mexico," America said. "Your mom sent my mom a letter from Mexico when you were a few days old. Mom kept trying to find your mom because she thought she'd find you. But I guess you weren't in Mexico, so that explains a lot. Somehow they realized that you had family here, so…yeah."**

**Johnny nodded again.**

"**You don't like to talk, do you?" America asked.**

"**I'm just tired," Johnny said. "My arm hurts."**

"**So, I'll leave you alone then," America said. "I'll dump cold water on you or something at about 9:30 tomorrow morning."**

"**Sounds good," Johnny said.**

**America left the room and closed the door behind him. Johnny walked over to the bed and flopped down on it. It was a big bed, Johnny could stretch his arms and legs out and they wouldn't hang over the sides. After the fascination with the huge bed wore off, Johnny started to feel homesick. Actually, he felt just plain sick. He hadn't had lunch or dinner, and he'd been through a lot that day. Johnny wanted to take a shower, but he was too tired, and he wasn't supposed to get his cast wet, so he wasn't sure how he would.**

**Johnny kicked off his shoes and took his jacket off. Then he pulled the blankets up to his chin and tried to sleep. He couldn't though, he missed his friends. A tear rolled down Johnny's cheek.**

**Johnny cried himself to sleep. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Tulsa**

"**Pony!" Soda yelled. "Pony, where are you?"**

**Soda had been looking for Ponyboy for the past half hour. Johnny's leaving had been hard on everyone, but it was hardest on Pony. Pony wasn't like everyone else, he was sensitive; things like this affected him more. He ran off when Johnny left, and now no one could find him. Everyone was worried about him, even Steve. They were all out looking for him.**

"**PONY!" Soda screamed. Soda was really worried about Pony. It wasn't safe at night on the East side, especially if you were alone. Soda knew that Pony would be alone. What if Pony was jumped? Pony was small, if there were a lot of Socs, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.**

**Soda had looked everywhere. He checked the vacant lot, the park, and all of Pony's friend's houses. Soda had looked there at least three times, and he still couldn't find Pony.**

"**Soda," he heard someone yell. He turned around. It was Darry.**

"**I guess you didn't find him yet either?" Darry asked.**

"**No," Soda said. "I looked everywhere: the park, the lot, and his friend's houses. He wasn't there. It's like he disappeared." **

"**I checked the library," Darry said. "He wasn't there either. The only thing that I can think of is that maybe he went to see a movie, but I don't know why he would have."**

"**I just hope he's Ok," Soda said.**

"**Me too," Darry replied.**

**Pony was hiding.**

**He'd been in Johnny's house for the past hour. He heard the gang walking up and down the street calling out his name. He knew they were worried about him, but Pony didn't want to face them.**

**For a while, Ponyboy had thought that maybe it was a joke. That Johnny and someone else, maybe Two-Bit had staged the whole thing. But then the gang started looking for him and Pony had watched from behind the curtains in Johnny's house. Pony had seen everyone but Johnny. That was when Pony realized it wasn't a joke.**

"**Pony!" he heard someone yell. Soda was standing outside of Johnny's house. Soda shook his head and then walked toward Johnny's house. Pony thought about hiding in another room, but he decided against it.**

**The door opened and Soda walked in. He saw Pony and ran over to him.**

"**Thank God," Soda said as he hugged Pony. "We thought you had been jumped and we had no idea where you were."**

"**Johnny's gone," Pony said softly.**

"**Yeah, I know," Soda said.**

"**I miss him," Pony said.**

"**We all do, buddy, but you need to come home," Soda said.**

**Pony shook his head.**

"**Darry made chocolate cake," Soda said.**

"**I'm not hungry," Pony said. "But I'll come home."**

**About an hour later, everyone was back at the Curtis house. Pony had been complaining that his head hurt, so he had gone to bed. Everyone else was sitting in the living room in silence. Two-Bit eventually broke the silence.**

"**It's not the same without Johnny," he said.**

**Everyone agreed. Then Soda said, "What'll we tell Dally? He gets out of the cooler in two weeks."**

"**I don't want to be the one to tell him," Two-Bit said. "Johnny was the only person he cared about. He'll be mad; probably will want to wring someone's neck or something."**

"**Maybe Pony should tell him," Steve said. "I think Johnny liked him and Dally the best."**

"**Maybe we should just leave town," Two-Bit said.**

"**We'll worry about it later," Darry said. "It's late and I'm tired. I have to work tomorrow."**

**Everyone nodded. Two-Bit left and Steve flopped down on the couch. Everyone was expecting Johnny to walk through the door, but he never did.**

**Soda woke up in the middle of the night to someone saying his name.**

"**Soda," Pony said. "Are you awake?"**

"**Yeah, I'm awake," Soda said sleepily. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"**

"**I miss Johnny," Pony said.**

"**I know," Soda said. "But you have to go back to sleep, I'm tired."**

"**Ok," Pony said sadly.**

**Pony stared out the window at the vacant lot. Looking at the lot made him miss Johnny. Pony rolled over so his back was to the lot and tried not to think about Johnny. He eventually fell asleep.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up, I was stuck at my grandparent's house for a long time, and they don't have internet. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**New Orleans**

_**Hey guys,**_

_**I hate it here.**_

**That was all that Johnny had on his letter home. It pretty much said it all though, his first day in New Orleans had been a disaster. America had come in to wake him up at nine thirty, just like he had said. Only Johnny didn't wake up. America wound up having to put ice cubes down Johnny's shirt. That had made him wake up really fast; he didn't know what was going on and thought he was being jumped. Johnny had accidentally punched America in the nose. **

**Then there was the episode with his clothes. No one in Tulsa wore shorts, but everyone in New Orleans did. All that Johnny had was jeans, so he wore them and a black t-shirt. When America's friends came over they were all wearing shorts and white or grey T-shirts. They all laughed at him behind his back. And that was just America's guy friends.**

**His girl friends were even worse. To Johnny, they all looked like clones. They were all wearing shorts, sleeveless T-shirts, and flip-flops. They all had their hair back in ponytails. America had introduced them all to Johnny, but he only remembered one of their names: Laurie Carter. He guessed he remembered her name because she had freaked out when she saw his cast and begged him to let her sign it. He had agreed, and Laurie had written her name and drawn a picture of a horse next to it. The horse made Johnny miss Soda, he liked horses.**

**During the day, Johnny called everyone by the wrong name, almost died from heat stroke, got dehydrated, and the whole day he was trying not to look at his cast because the horse drawing on it reminded him of Soda, but it was hard not to look at the cast because it was so heavy. The cast was also hot; it trapped the heat from the sun and baked his arm. His arm felt gross and slimy from sweat after just a few hours of being out in the sun.**

**New Orleans was not only hot, it was humid. Laurie, who was the only one that would even talk to Johnny, explained that New Orleans was so humid because it was on a lake, and farther south than Oklahoma.**

**There was some interesting stuff about New Orleans though. There were these things called street cars that a lot of people used instead of busses. There were a lot of districts in New Orleans, but America and his friends only went to the French Quarter that day. **

"**It's pretty boring now," Laurie said. "But it's pretty interesting during Marti Gras."**

**There weren't many trees in the French Quarter, but there were some small ones planted on the edge of the sidewalk. There were beads hanging from several of the trees, Johnny guessed that they were from Marti Gras.**

**Just as the day was starting to get a bit better, it got bad again. Johnny had been smoking since he was nine and he hadn't smoked in more than a day. He was craving a cigarette, so he asked if America or any of his friends had one. They didn't, none of them smoked and to make things worse Johnny got lectured on why he shouldn't smoke by most of America's girl friends. America's guy friends just grunted and said something about not being able to play sports. Johnny really wasn't paying attention. All that he could think about was that he had messed up a lot that day, but this had pushed him off the edge. Every time he had called one of America's friends by the wrong name, and that morning when he had came downstairs wearing jeans instead of shorts, America had given him this dirty look. The look pretty much said "you're making me look bad in front of my friends, don't do that." Usually it only lasted for a few seconds, but since he had asked for a cigarette, it had become permanent.**

**America gave Johnny the dirty look for the rest of the day. He refused to talk to him around his friends. At home, America only talked to him at dinner. What he said wasn't anything important either, it was just stuff like "Could you give me the salt?"**

**Ana and her husband Neil talked to Johnny a lot though. They asked him all kinds of questions: what he thought of New Orleans, what Oklahoma was like, did he have a girlfriend back home, and what school did he go to? That was fine with Johnny though, he really wasn't hungry. All that he wanted was a cigarette; he was kind of nervous because he hadn't smoked in so long.**

**After dinner, Johnny went to his room and dug through his suitcase looking frantically for some cigarettes. He couldn't find any. He checked his jacket pockets and found a cigarette butt. It wasn't much, but it would work. He opened the window, sat on the window sill, and lit the cigarette. The cigarette burned his fingers because it was so short, but Johnny didn't care. He smoked the cigarette until it was so short that he could hardly hold on to it. Then he put it out with his fingers and dropped it out the window.**

**Now he was writing a letter home. He looked at what he had written so far.**

_**Hey guys,**_

_**I hate it here.**_

**Johnny started writing again.**

_**I forgot to pack cigarettes. I don't know how I did something so stupid, but I did. No one here smokes, so I can't borrow one. I tried to buy some, but I got carded and they almost called the police. Could you please send me some cigarettes? And try to hurry, I'm dying.**_

_**It's really hot and humid here. Everyone wears shorts. I only have jeans, and I looked kind of stupid. No one greases their hair either. Isn't that weird? My aunt lives in this really nice house in a good neighborhood. It's a lot better than the vacant lot. My aunt's son, America, is there too. I thought he seemed kind of nice, but now I think he hates me because I made him look bad.**_

_**I realized that I didn't get to tell Dally goodbye because he was in the cooler. How much time does he have left? Do you know how I can write him a letter? I know he won't be very happy about me leaving, and I don't want any of you guys to have to tell him.**_

_**Well, I guess that's all. I miss you guys.**_

_**Johnny**_

**Johnny was looking at the letter when he heard someone knocking on the door.**

"**Yeah," he said. America came in.**

**America put an envelope in his hand "Pictures of my friends," he said. "It might help if you can learn their names. And a bit of advice: don't grease your hair. It went out of style years ago here."**

**Johnny nodded.**

"**I guess you can borrow some of my clothes until you get some of your own. You'd be a lot cooler," America said.**

"**I'd rather not," Johnny said.**

"**Yeah, it's kind of gross, isn't it?" America said.**

"**I don't want your charity," Johnny said.**

"**What are you talking about?" America asked. "I'm just trying to be nice."**

"**You weren't trying too hard earlier," Johnny snapped. "Don't think I didn't see the dirty looks you were giving me."**

"**I'm sorry Ok," America said. "But mom says I have to be nice to you so…"**

"**Fine, whatever," Johnny said. "Just leave me alone."**

**America stood there for a few seconds, then he started to leave. After a few seconds, Johnny heard the door close.**

**Johnny walked over to his desk and picked up the letter he had written. He folded it and went downstairs. Ana was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.**

"**Ana," Johnny said. **

**She looked up "Yes," she said.**

"**Do you have an envelope and a stamp?" He asked.**

**Ana nodded and got off the couch. "Writing a letter to your friends?" she asked.**

"**Yeah," Johnny said.**

"**You're already homesick?" she asked.**

**Johnny nodded.**

"**It'll get better after a while," Ana said. **

**A little while later, Johnny was in his room lying on his bed. He was thinking about what Ana had said: "It'll get better after a while."**

**He hoped it would.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**Tulsa**

**Dally was out of the cooler a week early.**

**He was heading toward the Curtis'; he figured everyone would be there. As he walked up to their house, he decided he would check their mail for them. It was partly one of his very rare random acts of kindness, and partly that he wanted to see if there was anything interesting.**

"**Bill, bill, credit card offer," Dally muttered as he looked through the mail while walking up the steps to their house. Then he stopped in his tracks.**

**He was staring at an envelope that was postmarked from New Orleans one week ago. It wasn't that the letter was from New Orleans that made it stand out; it was who the letter was from.**

**It was from Johnny.**

**Dally stared at the envelope. It was addressed in Johnny's messy handwriting. He was surprised that the mailman could even read the address. He checked the postmark again. Sure enough, it was from New Orleans. It didn't make since though. What would Johnny be doing in New Orleans? Dally decided to read the letter, he tore open the envelope and started to read: **

_**Hey guys,**_

_**I hate it here.**_

_**I forgot to pack cigarettes. I don't know how I did something so stupid, but I did. No one here smokes, so I can't borrow one. I tried to buy some, but I got carded and they almost called the police. Could you please send me some cigarettes? And try to hurry, I'm dying.**_

_**It's really hot and humid here. Everyone wears shorts. I only have jeans, and I looked kind of stupid. No one greases their hair either. Isn't that weird? My aunt lives in this really nice house in a good neighborhood. It's a lot better than the vacant lot. My aunt's son, America, is there too. I thought he seemed kind of nice, but now I think he hates me because I made him look bad.**_

_**I realized that I didn't get to tell Dally goodbye because he was in the cooler. How much time does he have left? Do you know how I can write him a letter? I know he won't be very happy about me leaving, and I don't want any of you guys to have to tell him.**_

_**Well, I guess that's all. I miss you guys.**_

_**Johnny**_

**Dally was confused. He didn't like being confused, that made him angry. No one wanted to be around him when he was angry. He stormed into the house. Two-Bit, Pony, and Soda were sitting on the couch. They all looked up when he came in.**

"**Hey Dally," Two-Bit said. "You're out early."**

"**What's going on?" Dally asked. He held up the letter. "Where's Johnny? Why is he in New Orleans? How long has he been there?"**

"**It's a long story," Soda started.**

"**I've got time," Dally said coldly.**

"**Johnny's dad got caught beating him up and they put him and Johnny's mom in jail. Johnny has an aunt in New Orleans and they sent him to live with her. He left about a week ago. Is that a letter from him?" Soda said.**

"**Yeah," Dally said. He gave the letter to Soda. "He needs cigarettes, I'm going to go and buy him some."**

**Dally left the house and started walking. Why did Johnny have to go to New Orleans? Dally tried not to show it, but he really cared about him. It just didn't seem worth it without him. He didn't even get to tell him goodbye. Dally shook his head and told himself to pull it together. He was the toughest hood in Tulsa, he couldn't act like this.**

**But he found himself wondering about how Johnny was doing. He'd gone more than a week without cigarettes. Was he Ok? Was his aunt nice? Did she and her husband beat Johnny up like his parents did? Was he finally starting to fit in? There was one question that Dally really wanted to know the answer to:**

**Did Johnny miss him?**

**A few minutes later, Dally was leaving the drugstore with about ten packs of cigarettes. He laughed to himself.**

"**That ought to last him for a while," he muttered.**

**He wondered if there was a faster way to get them to Johnny than just mailing them. He couldn't think of a way. When he got back to the Curtis', Pony was sitting on the couch writing something. Dally sat down next to Pony and started reading it. It was another letter to Johnny.**

_**Hey Johnny,**_

_**We miss you. Sorry you're not fitting in, maybe it'll get better.**_

_**Dally got out of the cooler a week early, he wasn't too happy to hear you were gone.**_

_**Nothing much is happening here. We're sending you a bunch of cigarettes. I hope they'll last you a while. Could you give us you're aunt's phone number? If you think she wouldn't like us calling you then that's Ok, but we'd like to talk to you if you don't think she'd mind.**_

_**So, I guess that's all. We miss you**_

_**-The guys**_

**Pony turned to Dally, "Think it's good enough?" He asked.**

"**Sure," Dally said. "Hey, do you think you could give me the address? Just in case I want to send Johnny something."**

**Pony looked kind of confused for a second, and then he wrote the address on a piece of paper and gave it to Dally.**

"**Thanks," he said. Then he left their house.**

**Dally knew what he was going to do. If things didn't get better for Johnny in a few weeks, he was going to send him a bus ticket home. Tickets weren't too expensive. Sure, he'd have to cut back some on beer, but it was worth it for Johnny.**

**In a way, he hoped things wouldn't work out for Johnny. That way, he'd get to see him again.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**New Orleans**

**The cigarettes had finally come.**

**It had been two weeks since Johnny had written home. There was also a letter, but he didn't care about it now, all he cared about was the cigarettes. He was sitting on the window sill, smoking. He was on his third cigarette, and he hadn't been smoking for very long.He had hidden the rest of the cigarettes under his mattress, he didn't want anyone to find them. He didn't want them to be taken away. **

**Johnny was writing another letter home, while he was smoking his fifth cigarette. Pretty much all he had done was thank them for the cigarettes, but that was all he could think of to write. Johnny decided that he'd better write the letter home when he was done smoking.**

**He was still sitting on the window sill; he had smoked half his pack of cigarettes. Johnny looked down into the street. There were some little kids riding their bikes, and some people were doing yard work. He could also see America and some of his friends. They had been walking around the block for almost an hour. Johnny wondered how they could stand being outside in the heat for so long. He had been forced to buy shorts. He thought that even though he looked stupid, he might be cooler when he went outside. He was wrong. He could hardly stand going to the mailbox and back. Tulsa had been hot too, but it wasn't so humid.**

**Besides having to buy clothes that he hated, America had also thrown away all of Johnny's hair grease. America had said that it was for his own good, but Johnny knew it was so he wouldn't make him look stupid. Without hair grease, his hair looked awful. It was fluffy and frizzy because of the humidity; he looked like Einstein. Then Ana had made him get his hair cut, so then he looked like Einstein with short hair. Johnny decided he would write that on his letter home. He sat down at the desk and started writing.**

_**Hey guys,**_

_**Thank you so much for the cigarettes. I was about to die.**_

_**New Orleans isn't much better. I was practically forced to buy shorts, and my cousin threw my hair grease away. Then I had to get my hair cut. It's so hot and humid here. I can't even go outside it's so bad, but even if it wasn't so hot I wouldn't want to go outside anyway. I look stupid in shorts, and my hair looks awful.**_

_**I wish I could come home. I miss you guys.**_

_**-Johnny**_

**After he sent the letter, Johnny was sitting on the window sill, smoking again. He knew that he shouldn't smoke so much. He was starting to feel sick, and he needed to save the cigarettes because he didn't know when he'd get more, but it felt good to smoke. At about 6:30, Ana knocked on Johnny's door. He quickly put out his cigarette.**

"**Yeah," he said.**

**She stuck her head in the room. "Dinner," she said. Then she closed the door.**

**Johnny went downstairs. Dinner started out Ok, but then it got bad. Ana's husband, Neil, stopped eating and looked up. He sniffed a few times.**

"**Cigarettes," he said. He pointed at America and then at Johnny. "One of you has been smoking. You know the policy. No smoking while you live in this house. After dinner, I'm searching both of your rooms."**

**Johnny didn't know what he would do. There was no way he could hide the cigarettes, he had ten packs of them. They were under the mattress, maybe Neil wouldn't look there.**

**After dinner, Johnny was sitting in his room while Neil looked through America's room. He hoped that he wouldn't find the cigarettes. But what if he did? He didn't want to think about what Neil would do. Would he beat him like his dad had? He hoped not.**

**Neil came into Johnny's room. "Couldn't find anything in America's room," he said.**

**Johnny's heart skipped a beat. Neil knew that he had them. Was he not even going to bother looking for the cigarettes? Would he just punish him right then?**

"**But maybe I was just imagining things," Neil said. "I'm looking through your room too."**

**Johnny stood in the middle of the room while Neil looked through all of his stuff. He couldn't find anything. Neil was starting to leave the room, but he turned back. He walked over to the bed.**

**_No, _Johnny thought as Neil lifted up the mattress. There were the packs of cigarettes, in plain sight. Neil turned to Johnny.**

"**Johnny," he said firmly.**

**He was scared. Neil was going to hit him, he knew it. He didn't want another beating, his dad had been beating him up all of his life, and he was tired of it.**

"**Please don't hit me," Johnny said softly. His voice was trembling. He had meant to sound tough, and he didn't mean to say please either. He was looking at his shoes, but he could feel Neil staring at him.**

"**I won't hit you," he said after a long pause. "But in the morning we're going to have a long talk about this. I'm going to give you tonight to think about what you've done."**

**Johnny nodded.**

**Neil took the packs of cigarettes and started leaving the room. "I'm going to throw these away," he said.**

"**No," Johnny said.**

**Neil turned around, "What?" he asked.**

"**You can't take them," Johnny said. "My friends sent them to me. I've been waiting two weeks for them and I was about to go crazy. I need them."**

"**Well, you'll have to get over it," Neil said as he left the room.**

**Johnny sat on his bed and cried. He wouldn't be able to make it without cigarettes. Maybe he could dig them out of the trash. They might still be Ok. He heard the door to his room open. He looked up and saw Ana standing in the doorway. She walked over to Johnny and sat next to him.**

"**You Ok?" She asked.**

**Johnny shook his head. "What'll he do to me?" he asked.**

"**Not much," Ana replied. "He'll just talk to you in a very firm voice. He won't hit you, I promise."**

"**The thing is that he hates cigarettes," Ana continued. "His father smoked them. One day his house caught on fire. He wasn't hurt, but it cost him a lot of money. He's convinced that his dad's house caught on fire because of a cigarette that wasn't put out all the way. I don't think that he would have minded as much, but his dad had to stay with us for several months while his house was being rebuilt. They don't get along."**

"**I need my cigarettes," Johnny said.**

"**I know," Ana replied. "I'll buy them for you. We'll figure something out."**

**Johnny was quiet.**

"**I know you hate it here," Ana said. "I want you to feel better."**

**He still didn't answer.**

"**Would you like me to stay for a while, or do you want to be alone?" Ana asked.**

"**I wanna be alone," Johnny said.**

"**Alright," Ana said. "And don't worry, Neil won't hurt you." She turned and left the room.**

**Johnny sat on his window sill. It had turned into his favorite place to sit. He was worried. Ana and Neil seemed like nice people, but what if they were just acting like that? What if Neil hit him? He wanted to go home. He wanted a cigarette.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**New Orleans**

**Johnny was lying on his bed.**

**Neil had just finished giving him a lecture on why he shouldn't smoke. He hadn't been paying attention. Neil had noticed and had yelled at him**

**Johnny hated being yelled at. His mom would yell at him a lot, he hated it. He had hoped that his aunt and uncle wouldn't yell at him. So far, Ana seemed nice but Neil seemed like a control freak.**

**During the lecture, Neil had gotten side tracked and had said that he didn't want Johnny to hide out in his room all day any more. He was supposed to hang out with America and his friends the next day. Johnny had tried to say that they hated him, but Neil wouldn't listen. Maybe he could fake sick or something…**

**The door opened and America came in.**

"**Don't you know how to knock?" Johnny asked bitterly.**

"**Look," America said. "Dad said that you're hanging out with us tomorrow. Do me a favor and don't say anything stupid. It wouldn't kill you to get my friend's names right, either."**

"**I don't _want _to hang out with you," Johnny said. "Your dad is making me."**

"**That doesn't change anything," America said. "Just don't say anything stupid."**

"**I wasn't planning on saying anything at all," Johnny said. "But now I think that I'll say a lot of stupid stuff."**

"**You do and I kill you," America said. Then he left the room.**

**Johnny sighed. He couldn't stand America. He didn't know why he was so mean to him. He hadn't even done anything to him.**

**Johnny went over to his desk and sat down. He hadn't gotten another letter from his friends, but he wanted to write to them. What would he tell them? His uncle had taken his cigarettes away, and his cousin hated him? That wouldn't work. It would just make his friends mad; he didn't want them to get mad.**

**He wondered if he should start saving up for a bus ticket home. He got an allowance every week. It wasn't much, but he just wanted to get home. Maybe he could get his friends to send him some money. They would do it, he was sure they missed him. Maybe he should call them or something. America was home though, he hated leaving his room when America was home.**

**Johnny didn't go to dinner. Ana came upstairs and asked him if he was hungry, but he said no. He was, but he didn't feel like leaving his room. He just sat on his window sill and looked out at the street. He wanted to go home. He really wanted to go home.**

**He felt himself crying, he didn't even try to stop. He wanted his cigarettes, he didn't want to hang out with America, and he wanted to go home.**

**Ana came into his room. Johnny didn't even notice until he felt her hugging him.**

"**It's Ok," Ana said softly. "What's wrong?"**

"**I wanna go home," Johnny whimpered.**

"**I know," Ana said.**

"**America hates me," Johnny said. "Neil is making me hang out with him tomorrow and I don't want to."**

"**You don't have to," Ana said. "But I'm sure America doesn't hate you."**

"**I want some cigarettes," Johnny mumbled.**

"**I'll buy you some tomorrow," Ana said. "We'll figure out a way that you can smoke and not get caught."**

**Ana held Johnny for a while. He couldn't get over how motherly she was acting. She was acting more like his mom than his mom had. She talked to him while she held him. She pretty much talked about nothing, like stuff in his room and how the street needed to be repaved. Then she said "The sunset is really pretty."**

**Johnny's head had been in his hands, but he looked up. The sunset was pretty. "One of my friends liked sunsets," he said.**

"**Did she?" Ana asked.**

"**He," Johnny corrected. "He was different. He liked sunsets and the movies and stuff."**

"**You really miss them, don't you?" Ana asked.**

**Johnny nodded. He had stopped crying, but he felt like he was going to cry again. In a way, he liked Ana being there, but in a way he wanted to be alone.**

"**I know that writing to them isn't the same," Ana continued. "I remember when I went off to college and all my friends didn't. I missed them so much, but I made new friends."**

"**I don't want new friends," Johnny said. "I want them."**

"**I know," Ana said. "I'm sorry."**

"**It's not your fault," Johnny said.**

**Ana and Johnny sat in silence for a while. After a while she said "You didn't eat dinner, are you hungry?"**

**Johnny shook his head. He had been hungry earlier, but he wasn't anymore.**

"**Come downstairs if you decide you want something to eat," Ana said.**

**Johnny nodded and Ana left. He was lonely. At least he didn't have to hang out with America though. That made everything a bit better.**

**He left the window sill and went over to his bed. Maybe he could call his friends tomorrow. His aunt and uncle might get mad though. He could probably call them from a pay phone or something. He sighed and started picking at his cast. It was starting to fall apart near the ends, and it was kind of dirty. It had only been three weeks since he'd gotten the cast put on. He still had three more weeks to go. He wondered if his cast would completely fall apart. **

**He wondered if he would completely fall apart.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**Tulsa**

**Dally took another drink from the bottle of whiskey.**

**He didn't normally drink a lot, at least, not as much as Two-Bit but he'd been drinking more lately.**

**They'd gotten another letter from Johnny yesterday. His uncle had taken his cigarettes away. His aunt had bought some cigarettes for him, but his uncle found out. He got really mad at Johnny and at his aunt. He had forbidden Johnny from smoking ever again, and his aunt wasn't allowed to buy him cigarettes anymore.**

**That wasn't the worst part. Johnny had tried to explain that he needed cigarettes and his uncle hit him. Johnny didn't think that he meant to hit him, but he did. His uncle said that he was sorry, but that didn't change anything. **

**Everyone was pretty mad that Johnny's uncle had hit him. They wrote a letter back to him asking him to call them. They were going to work out some way that they could send him a bus ticket home. It would be faster and easier if they could talk to him. They wanted to get Johnny out of New Orleans as soon as possible, and they knew that Johnny wanted to come home.**

**A little later that night, Two-Bit had been looking at the letter and had noticed that some of the words on it were smudged, like Johnny had been crying when he wrote it and some of his tears had fallen on it. That had made Dally really mad. Johnny was supposed to be in New Orleans because it was better, but it obviously wasn't. His uncle had made him cry. It took a lot to make Johnny cry.**

**Dally had left to drink away his anger. He had gone to a few bars before he got kicked out. Then he went to a liquor store and bought a pint of whiskey. He was sitting on the Curtis's couch drinking it. He was kind of wishing that he had some company. Whiskey always left a bad taste in his mouth if he drank too much of it. He wanted someone to share the bottle with.**

**The door opened and Two-Bit walked in. Perfect.**

"**Hey, Two-Bit," Dally said. **

"**Hey," Two-Bit said as he flopped down on the couch. "What time is it?"**

"**Some time at night," Dally said. "Everyone went to bed a while ago."**

"**Hey, finish this," Dally said as he stuck the bottle of whiskey in Two-Bit's face.**

"**Sure," Two-Bit said as he took the bottle from Dally. He took a drink and said "Do you think Johnny's OK?"**

"**I dunno," Dally said. "I hope so."**

"**Why'd they even send him there?" Two-Bit asked.**

"**I guess they didn't know how miserable he'd be," Dally replied. "'Sounds like he likes his aunt Ok, it's his cousin and uncle that are giving him a hard time."**

"**Maybe we should drive down and get him," Two-Bit said. "We could party for a few days and then come back."**

**Dally laughed, "Yeah. I was almost hoping that he'd like it down there. That way he could have invited me to come visit during Marti Gras or something." **

**Two-Bit smiled, "Yeah," he said softly. "That would have been tuff."**

**Dally and Two-Bit sat on the couch passing the bottle of whiskey back and fourth for a while. Then they heard a door open in the back part of the house. They stopped and sat still until someone came into the room.**

**It was Pony.**

"**What are you doing sitting here in the dark?" Pony asked as he turned on a light.**

"**What are you doing up?" Dally asked.**

"**Couldn't sleep," Pony replied.**

"**Take a drink of this," Two-Bit said as he handed the bottle to Pony.**

**Pony took a drink from the bottle and made a face, "That stuff is awful," he choked as he gave it back to Two-Bit. "How do you drink it?"**

"**I don't know," Two-Bit said as he looked at the bottle.**

"**Are you guys worried about Johnny?" Pony asked.**

"**Yeah," Dally said. "But we'll get him home, don't worry."**

**They kept passing the bottle around for a while. Pony surprised them by taking several drinks from it.**

"**Since when do you drink?" Two-Bit slurred.**

"**Since now," Pony replied. He sounded almost as drunk as Two-Bit. He hadn't drank that much, but he wasn't used to it. Dally knew that Darry would kill him if Pony got drunk and it was his fault. He had to get Pony to leave.**

"**You'd better get to bed, kid," Dally said. "Darry'll kill me if he finds out that you were up this late."**

**Pony nodded and got up off the couch. Dally watched as he staggered to his room. Hopefully no one would notice that he reeked of whiskey. After Dally saw that Pony was safely in his room he turned to Two-Bit. He was taking a long drink from the bottle. Two-Bit put the bottle down and looked at Dally.**

"**I'm tired," he said dully. "I'm going home."**

"**Ok," Dally said. "But leave the booze,"**

"**Darn," Two-Bit said as he put the bottle on the table. "I was hoping you'd let me keep it."**

"**Yeah right," Dally said.**

"**Well, I'm leaving," Two-Bit said. "See you later."**

**After Two-Bit left Dally turned off the light and sat on the couch, drinking whiskey alone in the darkness. He couldn't stop thinking about Johnny. He really liked that kid, even though he tried not to show it too much. It wasn't fair that his life sucked so much. His parents didn't care about him, and because of them he was a million miles away in New Orleans. It wouldn't have mattered if he liked it there, but he was miserable. Johnny needed a family that cared about him. That seemed simple enough. Why couldn't he have that?**

**Dally finished off the bottle of whiskey and threw the bottle away. Then he flopped down on the couch and fell into a drunken sleep.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**New Orleans**

**Johnny was a nervous wreck.**

**He wanted cigarettes. He wanted them worse than before. Before, he knew that he would be getting cigarettes sometime and now he knew that he could never have them again. He also felt guilty because Neil had gotten mad at Ana. She told him not to feel bad, but he did. **

**He wanted cigarettes.**

**That was all that he could think about. Cigarettes. He wanted them. He hadn't left his room in two days. He wanted cigarettes so badly that he'd started biting his fingernails. He bit them so much that they were just bloody stubs. When he ran out of fingernails to bite he didn't know what to do.**

**Johnny was afraid that Neil would hit him again. He had also been forced to hang out with America again. He stared at the ground the whole time and didn't say anything. He could hear America's friends muttering "Your psycho cousin," all day. He didn't hang out with them again. Neil said that he had to, but Johnny had broken down and started crying. Neil decided to leave him alone after that.**

**Now Johnny had a low-grade fever. He wanted cigarettes; he even dreamed about them. He would dream that he was sitting in a room and the walls were made out of boxes of cigarettes. There was no door, but he had a lighter. He had to smoke his way out. It was the best dream he ever had until he woke up and realized that he was craving cigarettes even more. He would cry himself back to sleep.**

**His cast was crumbling now and it was this disgusting shade of grey. Johnny realized that he was a lot like his cast. He was starting to crumble and fall apart, and he was pale because he was sort of sick. He was almost a disgusting shade of grey. Maybe he would completely crack if his cast fell apart.**

**He wanted to go home. It had been a week and he hadn't heard from his friends. He was saving up for a bus ticket home, but he only had fifty cents. He had called the bus station and asked how much it was for a bus ticket home. Twenty dollars. He wouldn't have that much in a year. He'd be dead by then.**

**There was a soft knock on his door.**

"**What," Johnny moaned.**

**Ana opened the door. "How are we feeling today?" she asked as she sat next to Johnny.**

**Johnny coughed.**

"**You've still got a fever," Ana said. "Maybe I should take you to a doctor."**

"**Whatever," Johnny said tiredly.**

"**You got another letter from your friends," Ana said. She handed the letter to Johnny.**

"**Thanks," Johnny muttered.**

"**I'm going to make you some soup, Ok?" Ana said.**

**Johnny nodded. He wasn't hungry, but he wanted Ana to leave so he could read the letter.**

**As soon as Ana left, Johnny tore open the envelope. He saw that Soda had written the letter. He recognized his handwriting. The letter said:**

**Johnny,**

**Call us as soon as you get this. We're going to get you out of there. We didn't do this sooner because we thought that things would get better, but they haven't. It seems like they've gotten worse, doesn't it?**

**Anyway, we're all going to send you some money or something. We need to work that out over the phone. Just call as soon as you get this. The sooner you do, the sooner you can get home.**

**We'll see you soon,**

**-The guys.**

"**Yes," Johnny muttered. "I'm going home."**

**He couldn't call home until Ana had forced some of the soup down his throat. Then she gave him this medicine that was supposed to make him sleep. He didn't look like he'd been sleeping very well; he could see why Ana gave it to him. Before she left, Ana pulled the covers up to his chin and kissed his forehead.**

"**I hope you feel better," Ana said. "Sleep well." Then she left the room.**

**Johnny could feel himself starting to doze off. That medicine really worked. He knew that he had to call fast. He rolled out of bed and left his room. There was a phone in the upstairs hallway, he picked up the phone and dialed.**

**Tulsa**

**Soda picked up the phone. **

"**Hello," he said.**

**An operator's voice said, "Mr. Curtis, you have a collect call from Johnny Cade. Will you accept the charges?"**

"**Yes," Soda stammered. "I'll accept." I put the phone down and screamed "It's Johnny!"**

**Everyone ran into the kitchen where the phone was.**

"**Hey, Johnny," Soda said.**

"**Hey," Johnny replied.**

"**Johnny? That you? You sound awful," Soda said.**

"**I'm sick," Johnny said. "My aunt gave me this medicine and it's making me fall asleep. Can we hurry?"**

"**Yeah," Soda said. "Here's what we're going to do. We've pulled our money and we have thirty dollars. We're sending it to you today. You're going to buy a bus ticket and you're going to come home. Does that sound good?"**

"**Yeah," Johnny said softly. **

"**Call us before your bus leaves," Soda said. "We'll meet you when you get to Tulsa with a pillowcase full of cigarettes."**

"**Cigarettes," Johnny muttered sleepily.**

"**Yeah, that's right, buddy," Soda said. "Lots of cigarettes. We're sending you the money Ok? You got that?"**

"**Money, bus, cigarettes," Johnny murmured.**

"**Yeah, that's it," Soda said.**

"**Who is this?" Johnny asked.**

**Soda shook his head. "Go to sleep, Johnny," he said. "We'll send a letter explaining what to do."**

"**What am I doing?" Johnny asked.**

"**You're going to bed," Soda said.**

"**Oh, ok," Johnny said. "Bye." There was a click and the phone went dead.**

"**So what's going on?" Dally asked as Soda hung up the phone.**

"**Johnny's sick," Soda said. "I don't think he understood any of what I told him; he was really tired. We'd better send him a letter with the money telling him what to do."**

**Everyone nodded. "Well, let's send it now," Dally said. "Let's get him home."**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

**New Orleans**

**It was storming.**

**Johnny was sitting on the window sill, leaning his fevered face against the window. He was supposed to stay in bed, but he was bored. He'd been in bed for a week.**

**Johnny still had a fever; 99.7 degrees. He was getting so sick of that number. Every time Ana took his temperature for the past week, 99.7 degrees. When the doctors that Ana called came over and took his temperature, 99.7. When Ana took him to the hospital to get his cast taken off and to see if the doctors there knew anything it was still 99.7 degrees.**

**None of the doctors knew what was wrong with him. Johnny was afraid that he was dying. No one could find anything wrong with him except that he had a fever. He was almost positive that it had something to do with not being able to smoke. It didn't matter though; he'd be going home soon. The letter from his friends came a few hours ago.**

**Neil and Ana were going out for their anniversary or something. It had taken a long time for Johnny to convince Ana that he was Ok. She really didn't want to leave him. He had heard America talking on the phone with some of his friends. He was going to have a party while his parents were gone. It would be easy to sneak out. There wasn't a bus station nearby, and Johnny didn't know his way around the city, so he was going to call a cab. A bus ticket was twenty dollars, so he would have ten dollars left over. He guessed that that would be enough to cover cab fare.**

**Johnny watched the rain. He saw a bolt of lightning every minute or two. He was starting to wonder if he really wanted to go home. He would miss Ana, but he wanted to see his friends, and he really wanted some cigarettes. He would go home. He had to.**

**The door opened and Ana came in.**

"**What are you doing?" She asked. "You're supposed to be in bed. Do you want to get sicker?"**

"**No," Johnny said quietly as Ana led him back to his bed. "I don't want to be sick."**

"**I know you don't," Ana said. "I'm sorry you're sick. I can stay here if you want me to. Neil and I don't have to go out tonight."**

"**I'll be Ok," Johnny said.**

**Ana looked skeptical. "I'm going to take your temperature," she said.**

"**What's the use," Johnny groaned. "It's going to be 99.7. That's what it has been for the past week."**

**Ana put the thermometer in Johnny's mouth. He watched as the temperature rose to 99.7 and then stopped. It was driving him crazy. He didn't even care if his temperature went up. He just wanted it to change.**

"**You were right" Ana said absently. "It's the same."**

**Ana left the room and Johnny eventually fell asleep. He woke up a while later to a crashing sound and someone cursing. There was loud music from downstairs. Johnny guessed that America was having the party that he had heard him planning. He looked at the clock on his bedside table. It was 7:30. There was also a note on the table from Ana. It just said that she and Neil would be gone until about nine and that if he needed anything then he could ask America. **

**Johnny sighed. He felt sick and cold. It was still raining outside, and he wanted to just stay in bed. But he couldn't, he had to get home. Johnny left his room and went to the upstairs phone. He'd already looked up the number of a cab company. He picked up the phone and dialed the number.**

**Twenty minutes later Johnny was sitting in the cab and the driver was taking him to the Greyhound bus station. Johnny was shivering, and the driver kept looking at him.**

"**You Ok, kid?" He asked. "Maybe I should take you to a doctor instead of the bus station."**

"**I'll be Ok," Johnny said.**

"**You know, I have kids," the cab driver said. "And if any of them were as sick as you, I'd make them stay home."**

"**I'm not sick," Johnny said.**

**The driver laughed. "Yeah, right," he said.**

**Eventually the cab got to the bus station. The driver parked and Johnny got out of the cab.**

"**Do you think you could stay here?" Johnny asked. "I need you to take me back home."**

"**Sure," the driver said. "But it'll cost you."**

"**Yeah, sure," Johnny said. "Whatever. Just don't leave."**

**Johnny ran into the bus station. He stopped and looked around. He wasn't sure of what he was supposed to do. He finally walked up to one of the ticket windows.**

"**What can I do for you?" The person at the window asked.**

"**I need a bus ticket," Johnny said. Then he realized how stupid that sounded. He was in a bus station, what else would he need? "To Tulsa, Oklahoma," he added. **

"**Sure," the person at the window said.**

"**But not for tonight," Johnny said. "Tomorrow or later. And it needs to be early in the morning or late at night."**

**The person at the window gave Johnny a skeptical look and then nodded. "How about Wednesday at 4:30 A.M.?" The person at the window asked.**

**It was Saturday then, that would give him a few more days to get better "Sure," Johnny said.**

"**That'll be twenty dollars," the person at the window said.**

**Johnny gave him the money and the person at the window gave him the ticket. Johnny walked away from the ticket window and left the bus station. The cab was waiting for him. Johnny ran through the rain and dove into the cab. The driver smiled at him.**

"**Got your ticket?" he asked.**

**Johnny nodded.**

**The cab driver started the engine and started driving him home. They were quiet until they got to the house. The driver parked and Johnny started digging through his pockets for his money.**

"**So you're running away from home?" The driver asked.**

"**Running away to home," Johnny corrected.**

"**Huh," the driver said. "This looks like home to me."**

**Johnny wasn't exactly sure of what he meant, and he wanted to get inside. He was afraid that Neil and Ana would come home. **

**The house felt empty when he went inside, but he didn't care. He ran upstairs, fell into bed, and was instantly asleep.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**New Orleans**

"**Wake up," an angry voice said.**

**Johnny wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming until he felt someone shaking him. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that Neil's face was about three inches from his. He looked angry; his face was so red that it was almost purple.**

"**What's going on?" Johnny asked tiredly.**

"**I should ask you that," Neil said. "Where were you?"**

"**What?" Johnny asked. He had no idea what was going on.**

"**Do you have any idea what time it is?" Neil screamed.**

"**No," Johnny said timidly.**

"**Well, it's midnight, and Ana and I have been driving around the city looking for you," Neil said.**

"**Huh?" Johnny asked.**

"**Neil, leave him alone," Ana said as she walked into the room. "I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding."**

"**I'm not leaving him alone!" Neil said. "The boy is a delinquent, and he needs some discipline."**

"**I still don't know what's going on," Johnny said. "And I'm tired."**

"**See Neil, he's tired," Ana said. "Let's just talk to him in the morning."**

"**We are talking to him now," Neil said. He spoke slowly and spaced his words evenly. He was trying to control his temper.**

"**Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Johnny yelled.**

"**We came home and you were gone," Ana said. "I was so worried."**

"**I wasn't," Neil muttered.**

"**You're acting like he's the only one that's in trouble," Ana said. "You're forgetting that America was having a party."**

"**Never mind that," Neil said. "The point is that you were gone, and we've been driving around for the past three hours looking for you, but it turns out that you were here, sleeping."**

**Johnny knew that he should have apologized, but instead he said "What were you doing home so early?"**

"**The restaurant was infested with roaches," Neil said. "They're very common here. Anyway, that's why we came home so early. Ana came upstairs to check on you, but, of course, you weren't there. I want to know where you were, and I want to know now."**

**Johnny didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell them that he'd left to get a bus ticket. It would just make Neil angrier, and Ana would be upset. He didn't say anything.**

"**I bet you were out smoking cigarettes, weren't you?" Neil said. "Or maybe you were smoking pot. That's why you're so tired, isn't it? That's why you can't answer my question."**

"**Neil, we're all tired," Ana said. "Let's all just go to bed, and we'll talk about this in the morning."**

**Neil ignored Ana. He kept yelling at Johnny. "We gave you a roof over your head and saved you from your parents, but you've caused us more trouble than you're worth. I bet a year of military school would get this rebellious streak out of you."**

"**You haven't given me anything," Johnny said to Neil. "You're no better than my dad." **

**Neil stared angrily at Johnny for a few minutes before he stalked out of the room. Ana walked over to Johnny's bed and sat next to him. She looked sad and disappointed. After a few minutes, Johnny realized that she was crying.**

"**I was so worried about you," she sobbed. "I don't care if you were out doing drugs; just please tell me where you were."**

**Johnny didn't know what to say. If he told Ana where he was, she would know that he was going to run away. He thought about telling Ana that he had been out smoking pot. She said that she wouldn't care, but what if she did? He decided not to say anything.**

"**Johnny, please," Ana begged. "I won't be mad, I promise."**

**Johnny shook his head. "I can't tell you," he said.**

"**Yes you can," Ana said. "You can tell me anything."**

"**Not this," Johnny said. "I can't tell you where I was tonight. I'm sorry."**

**Ana stared at Johnny for a few minutes. Then she shook her head and sighed.**

"**We're both tired," she said. She was trying to keep from crying. "I hope that this is all just a misunderstanding and that you'll talk to me in the morning. I'm going to bed now, and I think that you should go back to sleep. Good night, Johnny."**

**Ana left the room and closed the door behind her, and Johnny flopped back on to his pillow. He felt awful. Ana seemed so disappointed, and Neil was probably going to kill him. To make things worse, it was only Sunday. He didn't leave for Tulsa until Wednesday.**

**Johnny rolled over and looked at the arm that his cast had been on. The skin was peeling off of it, and it looked a bit smaller than the other one. He thought that he would be glad to get his cast off, but he kind of missed it. It was kind of a security blanket, and his last link to home. Maybe he'd gotten the cast off because he was about to go home. Johnny sighed. Just three more days until he could go home. He could make it. At least, he hoped so.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I'm updating as fast as I can, but I'm taking really hard classes this year, and I have a ton of homework. Thank you for being patient, and enjoy the chapter!**

**New Orleans**

"**Maybe you didn't understand," Neil said. "I was not asking you answer the question. I was _telling _you to answer the question."**

**Johnny was quiet. He and Neil had been talking for half an hour. Neil wanted to know where he was last night, but he wouldn't tell Neil where he was. He couldn't.**

"**Johnny," Neil said. He looked straight into Johnny's eyes. Johnny looked away.**

"**Look at me," Neil said. He grabbed Johnny's face and turned it so that he was looking at him. Johnny looked at Neil, and for a second Neil looked exactly like his dad. Johnny blinked, and Neil looked like himself again.**

"**Where were you?" Neil asked. "You're going to tell me, and you're going to tell me now."**

"**I can't," Johnny said softly.**

"**Oh yes you can," Neil said.**

"**You'll get mad," Johnny said. **

"**I'm mad already!" Neil yelled. "You will tell me where you were, and you will tell me where you were now."**

"**No," Johnny said.**

**The next thing Johnny knew, he was on the floor and his nose was bleeding. He looked up at Neil. Neil's hands were clenched into fists and he was breathing hard.**

"**That's it," he said. "I'm sick of your insolence. We've tried to give you a good home, but you just keep rebelling against us. I'm tired of it. It's military school for you."**

**Johnny sat on the floor, stunned. Blood from his nose mixed with tears and the mixture ran down his face and onto his shirt. He wanted to go home. It was better at home. At least at home when he was beaten up, he had his friends to go to. Now he was on the floor in a strange city, he didn't have any friends, and his nose was bleeding.**

"**Johnny, what happened?" A voice asked.**

**Johnny looked up and saw Ana standing in the doorway. She walked over to him and sat down next to him.**

"**Neil hit me," Johnny said.**

"**I'm so sorry," Ana said. "I'll have a long talk with him. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."**

**A few minutes later, Johnny had stopped bleeding and he was wearing a clean shirt. He was sitting outside of the door to Neil and Ana's room, listening to them fight.**

"**I can't believe you hit him," Ana said.**

"**I can't believe you're being so nice to him," Neil said. "We still have no idea where he was last night."**

"**We also still have to punish America for having a party," Ana replied.**

"**Who cares about that," Neil said. "Stop trying to protect Johnny. He was out doing God knows what last night, and he needs to know that there are consequences for that. The boy needs to learn discipline, and I think that a year of military school is the only way to do it."**

"**You are not sending him to military school," Ana said.**

"**He needs to be punished," Neil said.**

"**We're supposed to be treating him better than his parents," Ana said. "You're not doing a very good job of that."**

"**Treating him well doesn't mean letting him run around the city without our permission at all hours of the night," Neil said.**

"**I didn't say that it did, but you hit him," Ana said. "You hit him, and not just once, but _twice_."**

"**Yes, but he deserved it," Neil said.**

"**You made his nose bleed!" Ana yelled. "That's not acceptable. You can't do that."**

**Johnny was tired of listening to Neil and Ana. He had heard enough fights when he lived with his parents. Johnny stood up and walked to his room. Then he flopped down on his bed and covered his ears to block out the sound of their yelling. It was only Sunday. Why did he have to ask for a bus ticket for Wednesday? He should be on his way home now.**

**Johnny heard his door slowly opening and he looked up. It was Ana. He uncovered his ears and sat up. Ana sat down on the floor and motioned for Johnny to sit down next to her.**

"**I want you to tell me where you were last night," Ana said.**

"**Not this again," Johnny moaned. "I already said that I can't tell you."**

"**I promise that I won't get mad," Ana said. "I won't yell, I won't hit you, I won't say anything at all. Just let me know that you weren't doing anything illegal."**

**Johnny looked at the floor.**

"**Were you doing something illegal?" Ana asked. "If you were, then I might have to give you a lecture, but that's all. I will not be angry with you."**

"**I can't tell you," Johnny said. "I can't tell you because you've been so nice to me, and I don't want to hurt you."**

"**You already are hurting me," Ana said. Her voice cracked. "I won't be mad and I won't tell Neil. Please, tell me where you were."**

**Johnny couldn't stand it any more. He cracked. "I was buying a bus ticket," he said.**

"**To where?" Ana asked. Johnny thought that she knew already, but he decided to tell her anyway.**

"**Home," Johnny said softly.**

**Ana sighed. "Why?" she asked.**

"**Because I'm miserable," Johnny replied. "I miss my friends, Neil is mean to me, America hates me, everyone hates me, I don't have any friends here, it's too hot here, I hate wearing shorts, I hate my hair because it's short and America wont let me grease it any more." Johnny paused for a second to catch his breath. "I just want to go home. My friends sent me money so that I could buy a bus ticket. It's for Wednesday."**

**Ana was quiet for a long time. Then she said something that surprised Johnny. "You should go," Ana said. "You have every right to visit your friends for a while. I'm not going to stop you."**

"**R-really," Johnny stammered.**

"**Yes," Ana laughed. "When were you planning on coming back?"**

**Oh no, another problem. Johnny thought that he was free to go home, but things never worked out for him. Now what was he supposed to do? What could he say?**

"**I don't know yet," Johnny said. "We haven't figured that out."**

**Ana looked like she was going to change her mind about letting Johnny go.**

"**I want to know when you're coming back," She said. "And you really should have told me that you were leaving. I want you to call your friends and figure out when you'll be coming back."**

"**And Johnny," Ana said as he was leaving the room.**

"**Yeah," Johnny said.**

"**I'm not mad…not that mad, but you're going to get a lecture," Ana said.**

"**Ok," Johnny said. Then he left to call his friends.**

**After the phone rang a couple of times, someone picked up.**

"**Hello," the person said. Johnny realized it was Pony.**

"**Hey, Pony, it's Johnny," he said.**

"**Hey, Johnny," Pony replied. "What's up?"**

**Johnny sighed. "We're busted," he said.**


End file.
